We’re on the other side of the 2023 All-Star Game break, which means the NHL is back with a six-game slate for us to unpack to ultimately cash out a few DFS contests during Tuesday night’s action. Now is the time when teams begin to make their final push toward solidifying a playoff berth. What we’ve seen from teams before the ASG break doesn’t necessarily translate to how they’ll play afterward, as we just saw Arizona beat Minnesota 3-2 on Monday night. Conversely, Tampa Bay was routed 7-1 in Miami by the Florida Panthers.

All six games have angles to attack from a DFS perspective but it’ll start off with the Lightning hosting the San Jose Sharks on a back-to-back. Tampa Bay is very good overall and the only team with over -200 odds to win outright on the moneyline, facing a Sharks team allowing 3.7 goals and over 31 shots on goal per game. Other teams playing back-to-backs on Tuesday night include the New York Islanders, who just cemented their first win following the trade for Bo Horvat (C – Islanders) in a 2-1 win on the road against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night. The Islanders will turn right around to host the well-rested Seattle Kraken and oddsmakers are viewing this matchup as a pick ’em essentially, with the Isles getting -115 while the Kraken are valued to win outright at -105. Anaheim is the third team embarking on a back-to-back out of the ASG break, staying on the road in a favorable matchup against Chicago, where they are only +110 underdogs to win outright. Other matchups include Colorado against Pittsburgh, Edmonton against Detroit, and Vegas on the road at Nashville.

Here are eight of my favorite prospects to target when constructing DFS builds on DraftKings and FanDuel ahead of Tuesday’s puck drops. Good luck and let’s start the second half of the season with a bang!

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Recommended Plays: DraftKings

DraftKings maximum salary is set at $50,000

Brayden Point (C – Lightning): $6,800
Brayden Point was a walking point-scorer prior to the ASG break, so he shouldn’t take long to get the rust out of his system ahead of Tuesday’s home game against an inferior San Jose Sharks team. The 26-year-old center has 29 goals for the Lightning and 55 total points through 49 games played, while racking up six points in his previous three games played. The Sharks have a -38 goal differential and allow over 3.7 goals and 31 shots on goal per game, so Point will have ample opportunity to cash in at a good $6.8K value on DraftKings.

Patrick Kane (RW – Blackhawks): $5,700
Chicago sits at the bottom of the Central Division with a -58 goal differential but they are a gritty bunch, going 6-4 straight up in their last ten games played. The Blackhawks will host the lowly Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night, which is the perfect spot for veteran winger Patrick Kane to continue heating up on the ice. Kane has at least one point in four of his previous five games played and netted two assists in a loss to Edmonton during his last outing. At $5.7K on DraftKings, Kane is a huge value against the Ducks, who rank 32nd in goals allowed (4.0), 32nd in shots on goal allowed (38.9), and have the league’s worst goal differential at -81. Lock Kane into lineups with confidence at a discounted salary.

Samuel Girard (D – Avalanche): $3,800
Instead of paying up for a defenseman here, I like the value Samuel Girard offers. The 24-year-old only has 16 points through 42 games for the defending champions, but he has four points in his last three games, while attempting seven shots on goal against Anaheim prior to the ASG break. At under $4,000, I love Girard’s value and his usage on both ends of the rink, where he’s stayed busy racking up three to five blocked shots in each of his past four games, creating a monster floor in DFS lineups. Pittsburgh’s goaltending has been a glorified turnstile too, so adding Girard into lineups is a no-brainer.

Stuart Skinner (G – Oilers): $8,200
Stuart Skinner is fresh off of competing at the All-Star Game but he should be ready to roll against Detroit on the road Tuesday night. The 24-year-old netminder has a 2.92 GAA, 13-10 record as a starter, and a .914 save percentage. These are solid numbers entering a matchup against the Red Wings, who are bottom-ten in goals scored (3.0) and average less than 30 shots on goal per game, ranking 26th in the league. Skinner is worth the elevated salary on Tuesday’s slate.

Recommended Plays: FanDuel

FanDuel maximum salary is set at $55,000

Evgeni Malkin (C – Penguins): $7,400
Pittsburgh has the most talented nucleus of veterans skating on its attack lines, including 36-year-old Evgeni Malkin. He’s been synonymous with the Penguins during his entire 17-year NHL career and isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. Malkin netted three points, including two goals, in his last game against San Jose, while attempting only two shots on goal. He doesn’t need a lot of volume in the offensive zone to be an asset in DFS lineups. As long as he’s earning 18 to 20 minutes ATOI, despite a tough matchup against the Avalanche, Malkin is a good investment entering Tuesday’s home matchup in a matchup that will force the Penguins to score in order to keep up with Colorado’s stacked personnel.

Filip Forsberg (LW – Predators): $7,500
Nashville is quietly riding a three-game winning streak and will provide plenty of scoring chances to one of its primary attackers, Filip Forsberg. The 28-year-old winger provides a high floor in FanDuel lineups, taking anywhere from two to seven shots on goal per game, while netting a point in three of his past five games played. Forsberg is a bit pricey at $7.5K on FanDuel but he’ll face Vegas at home on Tuesday night. The Golden Knights are a fairly tough matchup but they do struggle with their goaltending, averaging .906 save percentage, ranked 22nd in the league. All it takes is a couple of good shots to break through Logan Thompson’s (G – Golden Knights) defense, making Forsberg a good investment.

Seth Jones (D – Blackhawks): $6,500
Seth Jones is a defenseman with a stable floor due to his usage on both ends of the rink. Chicago may be floundering in the basement of the league right now but Jones is a skilled player who attempts one to four shots on goal, while also racking up a couple blocked shots per game. He only has two points, both assists, in his previous five games but the ASG invitation shouldn’t have exhausted Jones too much, as he’ll face a vulnerable Anaheim defense on Tuesday night. Jones is a bit pricey but could be the difference-maker when it comes to cashing a FanDuel contest.

Ilya Sorokin (G – Islanders): $7,800
The New York Islanders find themselves in the thick of a playoff push in the Metropolitan Division, largely thanks to the quality goaltending that they roster. Ilya Sorokin is the primary netminder for the Islanders, possessing a .500 record as a starter in 32 games this season, while logging four shutouts and boasting crispy numbers such as a 2.38 GAA and .923 save percentage. Sorokin will face a Seattle offense that is ranked fourth in goals scored, averaging 3.6 per game this season, but they rank in the bottom-ten for shots on goal, power play goals, and power play percentage. Sorokin won’t back down and has plenty of talent to offer up, so as long as Horvat and Brock Nelson (C – Islanders) show up on offense for the Islanders, he will be in a good position to lead his team to victory in between the pipes on Tuesday night.